BERKELEY — A two-alarm fire Monday night that destroyed a storage shed behind the former Ace Hardware store in downtown was possibly started by squatters, officials said Tuesday.

No injuries were reported.

The fire erupted in the approximate 2,000 square foot shed behind the building in the 2100 block of University Avenue about 10:11 p.m. Tuesday. The shed used to be used for storage by the hardware store, which relocated to another Berkeley site in 2016.

More than 30 fire personnel responded to the blaze and kept it from spreading inside to the old store and to a nearby apartment building, Asst. Fire Chief Keith May said.

As a precaution residents of the apartment were temporarily evacuated.

The fire was declared under control at 10:32 p.m.

The shed was destroyed and there was some heat damage to the residential building. An exact damage figure has not been determined.

Authorities said the exact cause of the fire is still under investigation. But authorities but did say squatters have been known to be in the area and it has not been ruled out their presence may have played a role in the fire.

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